Photo: Robert Kah
Surprise, surprise - the ambitious plan set in motion by Maserati back in 2014 proved a bit too ambitious for its own good. Due to the limited resources available within the Fiat-Chrysler Alliance and the fact that Quattroporte sales are lower than expected, the sexy Alfieri coupe concept has been delayed.
A short while back, Maserati revealed something called the 5-year plan, under which six new models would be launched between 2014 and 2018. We have two of them and will soon see the third, which is the Levante SUV. However, the one we really wanted was the Alfieri, a sexy 2+2 that in concept form promised to be everything the GranTurismo isn't.
No precise date was announced at the time, but last year Maserati’s CEO Harald Wester revealed that the Alfieri Coupe would arrive in 2016, followed by its cabriolet cousin a year later. That plan has gone out the window, as a report from Automobile Magazine claims the coupe will be ready in 2018.
That means the roofless Alfieri will arrive in 2019, a year after the 5-year revamp plan was supposed to end. Also, the larger all-new GranTurismo will be ready by the end of 2019 or early 2020.
That's like saying "leave us alone, we'll get to it later." Could the current generation model really stay in production for 13 years? With that in mind, it's clear that Maserati's investment plan is falling apart, and they have no chance of reaching the ambitious sales target set by Sergio Marchionne.
So as not to forget why we want the Alfieri to arrive sooner rather than later, let's recap what we know. It's designed as an entry-level sportscar available exclusively with twin-turbocharged V6 engines. The highest output version Maserati talked about is supposed to have 520 hp and standard all-wheel-drive.
But it's the styling that first attracted us to the Alfieri. Below, you can check out live photos of the car from the Geneva and Detroit Motor Shows. After viewing them, you too may start having wild fantasies about drag races with the Jaguar F-Type and comparison tests against the 911.
No precise date was announced at the time, but last year Maserati’s CEO Harald Wester revealed that the Alfieri Coupe would arrive in 2016, followed by its cabriolet cousin a year later. That plan has gone out the window, as a report from Automobile Magazine claims the coupe will be ready in 2018.
That means the roofless Alfieri will arrive in 2019, a year after the 5-year revamp plan was supposed to end. Also, the larger all-new GranTurismo will be ready by the end of 2019 or early 2020.
That's like saying "leave us alone, we'll get to it later." Could the current generation model really stay in production for 13 years? With that in mind, it's clear that Maserati's investment plan is falling apart, and they have no chance of reaching the ambitious sales target set by Sergio Marchionne.
So as not to forget why we want the Alfieri to arrive sooner rather than later, let's recap what we know. It's designed as an entry-level sportscar available exclusively with twin-turbocharged V6 engines. The highest output version Maserati talked about is supposed to have 520 hp and standard all-wheel-drive.
But it's the styling that first attracted us to the Alfieri. Below, you can check out live photos of the car from the Geneva and Detroit Motor Shows. After viewing them, you too may start having wild fantasies about drag races with the Jaguar F-Type and comparison tests against the 911.
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